need suggestions

uke142464

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so... as you ight have read in my last post, my mom said that i might be able to get a solid koa uke for a half birthday half christmas present. now i cant decide what to get. i need your help. here is what i want and dont want to aid you in aiding me
want to buy from mgm
dont like bell shaped ukes
nothing over 1k
solid koa (of course)
nice looking grain
so please just leave comments to help or links to mgm's stuff:D
 
KoAloha, Kanile'a, GString, Kamaka; too many choices to list especially at the $1K and under range. Maybe you can get a Mike Perreira model.
 
I'm not sure if MGM inventories all the ukes he sells, but if he does and he is as cool as everyone says he is (and I've heard from enough people to believe that he is), ask him what he has that has the best tonal quality and sound that you are looking for.

You can't go wrong with Kamaka, Kanilea, KoAloha, GString, Pono (which is made by Koolau). They each have a distinctly different sound and feel. In addition, each ukulele in each brand sounds a little different, so you should (or have someone you trust a la MGM) play and hear them. DO NOT BUY BASED UPON LOOKS!!!

Having seen you play, I would suggest Kamaka and Kanilea.

Kamaka because....it's a Kamaka and eveyone should have a Kamaka in their collection. I have found them to be the most consistant sounding and playing of all the above brands (and I own, except for KoAloha, at least 1 of each). They are bright, but not too bright (I find KoAloha a little too bright and tinny for me - my opinion - which is why I don't own one).

Kanilea is my favorite to date. It has the action of a KoAloha and GString with a mello tone - not as bright as Kamaka. I have the Sound Monster (SM). I have found that their tones have been inconsistant though. I played 5 of the same uke and picked out the one with the best tone. Last month I played 3 more and didn't buy any of them because the tone of the Pono (which I ended up buying) sounded much better - and I played 3 Ponos to find the one which sounded the best to me!

Bottom line, my recommendation is:
1. Ask Mike
2. If you're buying without hearing, buy Kamaka

What say ye MGM? I'm curious and may want to buy one from you myself one of these days....
 

That is quite the sexy uku.

I have an order in to MGM for an intermediate uke. He sent me an email very soon after I bought that he would get it set up asap and send it off. He was also able to give me a time estimate which I like to have.
 

I'd second this. I don't preferably care for the grain pattern in the upside down "V" shape, but out of the ukes he has listed, this is what I would purchase.

I agree with Ka Leo that every uke will differ in their sound, it really depends what you are looking for. Kamakas are fairly consistent. Not to sway you away from MGM, but there is a local shop that has a Kamaka tenor and a Kanilea SM for about $800. They also carry the Kanilea UV finish models and many other "Hawaiian" ukes. I'd be willing to play them and hand select if you are interested. The shop does ship but does not have a website. You can pay them directly, so there's no trust issues.

This is one special gift. Happy Birthday...and Merry Christmas!
 
1) want to buy from mgm
2) dont like bell shaped ukes
3) solid koa (of course)
4) nice looking grain
5) so please just leave comments to help

1) I'm a little biased, so yes, I agree with MGM (ask him how he got that nickname).
2) Not too many bell `ukulele around these days - I think duane was one of the last I've seen.
3) Why the "of course" for Koa, as if there is nothing better? Koa has a nasty habit of twisting and turning, can be full of runout, and is very inconsistent in quality and structure from tree to tree. Why do Koa instruments from the same builder sound different? Check the Koa, not the builder.
4) Nice grain has almost nothing to do with aesthetic qualities of wood as much as it has an impact on final sound or quality, specifically when you're talking about quartersawn vs. flatsawn. Grain is something builders look at. If you're looking for nice figure in the wood, then that's another conversation.
5) You asked, so here it is. Since you are planning on spending some money to get a factory instrument, I'll just go ahead and say it - you're basically looking for the wrong stuff. At $1K, don't expect a nice looking instrument - but certainly find one that plays, sounds and intonates well. With the knowledge and ability of MGM in setting up his instruments, most people who buy off the rack factory instrument don't have the advantage of that instrument being, dare I say, properly set up. Most factory instruments can stand a little lowering of the action, and a string swap to match not only the instrument, but also your style of play. There are other adjustments that can be done as well, but that will cost you - and this may be worth it.

Again, at $1K, one other thing you should be looking at, OTHER than nice grain, is neck profile. You won't have much of an option in that area either, but this is the one that makes you feel the instrument, and should match your style of play as well.

just my $.02 - Aaron
 
so... as you ight have read in my last post, my mom said that i might be able to get a solid koa uke for a half birthday half christmas present. now i cant decide what to get. i need your help. here is what i want and dont want to aid you in aiding me
want to buy from mgm
dont like bell shaped ukes
nothing over 1k
solid koa (of course)
nice looking grain
so please just leave comments to help or links to mgm's stuff:D

i said koa (of course) because earlier in the post i also said i might be able to get a solid koa uke:D
 
2) Not too many bell `ukulele around these days - I think duane was one of the last I've seen.

Oscar Schmidt is making one.

os-ou250bell.jpg


OU250BELL Oscar Schmidt Solid Trembesi Bell Ukulele: a reissue of a vintage Washburn “bell” shape ukulele popular in the 1920’s. It features a solid Trembesi top, back and sides with ivory body binding, abalone logo, rosette and fret dot inlays. The ukulele has deluxe Grover GH305 tuners with ebony buttons, bone nut and saddle and GHS strings. Deluxe Hard Shell Case Included.

Retail $389.90


SALE!
$292.99


(find it here)

Of course, it is an OS... and you probably know how I feel about that.
 
Looks like a nice implement to hit balls with. Of course, winter is coming up - I can't use it in Hawai`i, but I'm sure someone could elsewhere.
 
Of course, it is an OS... and you probably know how I feel about that.

I'd like to know what you think of them. I'm not a big fan of them, but then again I have not played any of their more expensive ukes, so I really don't know that much about them. They definitely overdid it with the abalone on my uke I will tell you that haha.
 
Of course, it is an OS... and you probably know how I feel about that.

I'd like to know what you think of them. I'm not a big fan of them, but then again I have not played any of their more expensive ukes...

I have actually heard good reviews of the bell one. It is solid wood so that might make a difference. But wtf is Trembesi? When you google it you get links to imported furniture.

But then there are people all over raving about ukuleles that I think are pure crap, so you have to not only read the review you have to try and figure out what the person's standards are.

Feh!

As I've noted before, I think the "m" in Schmidt is silent.

But you gotta know what my standards are before you take my word for it, hm?
 
I have actually heard good reviews of the bell one. It is solid wood so that might make a difference. But wtf is Trembesi? When you google it you get links to imported furniture.

But then there are people all over raving about ukuleles that I think are pure crap, so you have to not only read the review you have to try and figure out what the person's standards are.

Feh!

As I've noted before, I think the "m" in Schmidt is silent.

But you gotta know what my standards are before you take my word for it, hm?

Yes you play a koa glyph most of the time right? ;)
 
Yes you play a koa glyph most of the time right? ;)

Much as I truly love my Glyph, I have been doing so much busking lately -- y'know... outside, no sound reinforcement, in a group situation -- that I've spent a lot more time on my National.

And for "around the house noodling" the Tiki Flea has been getting a real workout. It's those "stands on its butt" and "tough as nails so I don't worry so much if the cats knock it over" bits.

I did have a recent gig (actually, more than one) where I mostly played my Glyph. I sure enjoyed that.

But yeah, having had the Glyph for just shy of 5 years now, it tends to set the bar a bit high. But I learned so much of the good bits of my playing on the Glyph. And a lot of that was because it is a great instrument that allows you to stretch.

I always end up gritting my teeth when I read posts that say something like "as soon as I deserve a good uke I'll buy one."

If you've already gotten "hooked" by your cheap uke, if you're reasonably sure it's not something that you're going to get tired of soon, if you're constantly picking it up to play it, then you already deserve that better ukulele.

Playing on the very best you can afford (and maybe even stretching the budget a teensy bit higher than that) will make a world of difference in your skills.

The best part? You can get a really nice ukulele for a relatively low price. There are tons of choices out there, both factory and small shop built, that you can save up for in a reasonably short period of time.

And then you'll have a ukulele that makes your little heart go pit-a-pat every time you look at it.

Try it. You'll like it. And you deserve it.
 
Kamaka, solid koa, tenor uke. you cant go wrong with it lol.
 
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